Meet the Team

Meet the Team

By definition, a team is a consortium of individuals organized to create synergies that far exceed what any one person could accomplish. We like to think that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." So, why does this matter?

Simply, over more than 35 years we have built, from the ground up, an incredible team of unique, educated, and talented individuals who complement each other's skills. Our goal is to provide the highest level of service, integrity, and competence from a professional advisory group.

We believe that you will not find a team more dedicated to your success or one that will care more about you and your family. The partnership we, as a team, form with you is lifelong and critical to your success.

Michael V. Addessi

Michael began his career in the financial services industry working as a tax accountant during his college years. After graduating cum laude from Long Island University with a BS in accounting and economics, he moved from Long Island to Florida. He worked as an analyst for Dean Witter Reynolds in Tampa and then spent several years as an auditor for Lockheed Martin Corporation. Michael soon realized that he wanted to be in business for himself and founded his company in 1983. Michael is an Investment Adviser Representative with Commonwealth Financial Network .®

Michael is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Accredited Investment Fiduciary,® and Enrolled Agent qualified to practice before the Internal Revenue Service. He holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 securities registrations through Commonwealth and is licensed to offer health, life, and variable annuity insurance and is certified in long-term care and disability policies. Michael also holds Florida commercial and residential real estate licenses.

Michael works with his clients to keep them from making emotional decisions. He focuses them on their own specific financial circumstances rather than reacting to short-term fluctuations in the markets. His experienced, thoughtful, and calming approach helps clients make wise decisions, especially during times of turbulence and uncertainty. All of his clients are supported by an educated team of professionals who strive to provide exceptional and caring service .

Michael and his wife, Wendy, have two adult children who both work in the business. In his leisure time, he enjoys reading, gardening, and golfing. In addition, he is a gourmet chef. He also enjoys anything related to “family” and is a Tampa Bay Rays fan.

Michael Addessi is proud to have been recognized as a Chairman's Level advisor—a distinction based on annual production and is attained by just 3 percent of advisors affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network.

Michael O. Addessi

As an Associate Financial Advisor, Michael works closely with the Firm’s Senior Financial Planners to provide investment performance analysis and case management support. He also provides direct input and logistical support to the Firm’s President/CEO on matters affecting practice management and efficiency.

Michael graduated from Stetson University in 2011 with a BBA in Finance. As an undergraduate, he qualified to participate in the Roland George Investment Program, which actively manages a real investment portfolio of more than $4 million. He holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 securities registrations and is licensed to offer health, life, and variable insurance. He is currently studying for his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional certification. Michael is a registered representative with Commonwealth Financial Network .®

Michael appreciates spending time with his family, golfing, fishing, and traveling.

Christine J. McLean

Christine joined Addessi Financial Partners in 1994 and is a valued asset to the company, overseeing all of the back-office support for clients’ investment accounts, including trade details, financial calculations, retirement readiness assessments, and preparation of income tax returns.

She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, an Enrolled Agent, a Certified Fund Specialist,® and a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor.SM In addition, she holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 securities registrations. She obtained her Florida insurance license for life, health, and variable annuities from the University of Florida. She is a registered representative with Commonwealth Financial Network,® and graduated cum laude from Madison University with a BS in Marketing .

Christine and her husband have two sons, one in the Air Force and one in the Marine Reserves. When she isn’t assisting clients, Christine enjoys movies, hiking, biking, birding, camping, and playing board/card games.

Laura N. Woods

Laura joined Addessi Financial Partners in 2010 and is a graduate of the University of Washington, where she earned her BBA in Finance and Economics. Laura is a lifetime member of Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Laura has been a financial consultant since 1992 and is a registered representative with Commonwealth Financial Network.® She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities registrations. She is also licensed to offer health, life, and variable insurance, including long-term care and disability policies .

Laura works closely with Christine and Michael in assessing clients’ current financial situations and assisting in planning, rebalancing, and reallocating client accounts to help meet the client’s financial goals. She meets with clients to prepare their tax returns and analyze their insurance and estate planning needs.

Laura enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, skiing, and art.

Wendy C. Addessi

In her role as executive administrator, Wendy’s work includes assisting the Director of Client Relations in enhancing client appreciation programs and events. She arranges and coordinates all travel to educational conferences, due diligence visits to companies we invest with, and trips to visit out-of-state clients.

Wendy enjoys being able to use her creative abilities to enhance clients’ experience as they interact with our firm. She gets great satisfaction planning client events, arranging travel, and seeing these plans play out seamlessly.

Prior to joining Addessi Financial Partners full-time in 1999, Wendy worked for 15 years in medical sales, medical laboratories, and medical information systems. She is certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologist (ASCP) Board of Registry and is a Florida-licensed medical technologist. She is a 1984 graduate of Stony Brook University.

Outside of work, Wendy enjoys the sunshine of the outdoors, family vacations, and venturing out on the “road less traveled.”

Emily C. Addessi

Emily works diligently with our President/CEO to develop systems to support the firm’s growth—always with a keen eye on maintaining the caring and thoughtful culture that clients have come to expect.

Emily oversees the day-to-day operations of the office. She also analyzes efficiency and cost-saving ideas to help our clients experience the highest level of service.

Prior to joining Addessi Financial Partners in 2015, Emily worked for Raymond James Financial Inc. in Jacksonville, Florida, on both the investment advisor and corporate sides of the business. She graduated cum laude from the University of North Florida in 2013 with a BBA in Financial Services. Ranking in the top 10% of her class, she was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society. Emily was also an active senator for the university’s student government all four years and took on leadership positions within the Kappa Delta Sorority, including serving as treasurer.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys being a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, the Florida sunshine, bike riding, sitting poolside, attending professional sporting games, traveling, and cooking. Above all, she cherishes spending time with family, friends, and her puppy, Hazel.

Micki R. Montenare

Micki’s primary responsibility as Director of First Impressions is to ensure that clients have an extraordinary customer service experience every time they interact with the firm. She coordinates scheduling for the firm and often acts as a friendly and familiar link between the professional team and the clients and partners. She also maintains the firm’s virtual filing system and assists with marketing, client appreciation events, and community service projects. Micki gets the most personal satisfaction from interacting with everyone who enters the firm’s doors.

She is truly a “people person” and enjoys social contact of every kind. She’s blessed to know all of our many clients on a somewhat personal level, as chatter and laughter are her strong suits. She’s grateful to have the role of making everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. Ask anyone who knows her: “I love my job” is her most quoted sentence!

Prior to joining Addessi Financial Partners in 2007, Micki worked for the Pinellas County School Board and also held positions within the banking and insurance industries.

Outside the office, Micki enjoys Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast, traveling, watching movies, toting around her four-pound Maltese, and spending time with her two sons, family, and friends.

Holly M. Spears

As the Client Relations Associate, Holly is responsible for creating, implementing, and measuring the success of Addessi Financial Partners’ comprehensive communication and public relations plan. She collaborates daily with the operations team to ensure that the Firm continues to provide the exceptional service that exceeds our clients’ expectations. Holly loves working for a firm that truly prioritizes what is best for their clients.

Holly graduated from Florida State University in 2008 with a BA in Communication Studies with a focus on Interpersonal Relationships and Mass Media. Prior to joining Addessi Financial Partners in 2019, Holly worked for Hillsborough County Schools earning Florida’s Best and Brightest award before pursuing her interests in positions specializing in marketing and business development. Regardless of her role, she cares most about the people she is helping and attempting to, “leave the world a little better than you found it.”

As a Tampa native, Holly adores the Florida sunshine and the beautiful bodies of water surrounding it. She is a NAUI certified scuba diver and loves to kayak. She also enjoys traveling, concerts of almost any sort, cooking, and spending time with her family including her husband and two cats – Pinot and Savvy.

Joseph L. Powanda

As the Client Service Administrator, Joseph provides technical and logistical support to our clients, including organizing meetings, collecting data, responding to administrative queries and preparing client letters and standard reports. He is currently studying for his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional certification.

Joseph graduated from the University of South Florida in 2019 with a BS in Personal Financial Planning. As an undergraduate, he was Treasurer of the Student Financial Planning Association and was a finalist in the Personal Financial Planning program’s Financial Planning Challenge. The competition involved students placed in a holistic financial planning learning experience and engaged them in the financial planning community where they were able to build relationships, discover career opportunities, and enhance their financial planning knowledge. This ultimately prepared Joseph to join our Firm’s multi-year Advisory Training Program.

Joseph enjoys spending his time in the Florida sunshine either on the golf course, at the beach, or biking Bayshore Boulevard.

This communication strictly intended for individuals residing in the states of AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident outside these states due to various state regulations and registration requirements regarding investment products and services. Investments are not FDIC- or NCUA-insured, are not guaranteed by a bank/financial institution, and are subject to risks, including possible loss of the principal invested. Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA, SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor.